He was a trained pharmacologist who knew that being on a constant dosage for that long can be habit forming so he didn't take them - a decent portion of people

He was a trained pharmacologist who knew that being on a constant dosage for that long can be habit forming so he didn't take them - a decent portion of people are handed a bottle of pain meds "Here's a two week supply" and assume they're supposed to take them at the prescribed rate continuously. It takes an active personal decision to decide not to take the meds prescribed for you and that you've already paid for.